Nine-year-old Andrew, 7-year-old Alexander and 5-year-old Tanner Skelton have not been seen since Thanksgiving when they were at their father's home in Morenci, a small town on the Michigan-Ohio border.

Law enforcement and community volunteers have searched both sides of the state line.

During an interview with Local 4, the boys' mother, Tanya Skelton, said her intuition still tells her "that my boys are alive and that they're with someone they know."

Despite their absence, the mother said she's keeping the holiday spirit alive in their honor.

"I have bought some presents," she said. "I still have some things I want to get. It is very hard to go shopping not knowing, but there will be presents under the tree."

The boys' father, John Skelton, is in the Lenawee County jail on parental kidnapping charges. Police have said he's made false claims about turning his sons over to another woman.

At a court hearing last Thursday, John Skelton, 39, said he gave his sons to someone from an "organization" who visited his home on Thanksgiving. He told police earlier he had turned them over to a female acquaintance to be returned to his ex-wife.

Morenci Police Chief Larry Weeks said then that he remained skeptical of the father's claims, adding, "We're not expecting a positive outcome."

Tanya Skelton Interview Part 1:

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